Fusion GPS, based in the Washington, D.C. area, was first hired by anti-Trump Republicans to dish dirt on Trump; then, after Trump was nominated as Republican candidate, the Hillary Clinton Democrats took over and paid Fusion GPS; then, finally, the FBI came into the picture last Fall. In the course of this, Fusion GPS subcontracted to the London-Based Orbis Business Intelligence, a spook outfit set up in 2009 by so-called ex MI-6 agents, Christopher Steele and Christopher Burrows.

Grassley sets out a list of 13 detailed questions to be answered by Fusion GPS, attention Glenn R. Thompson. Grassley points out in the letter that,

"Last month, the Washington Post reported that a few weeks before the election, the FBI had reached an agreement with Mr. Steele to pay him to continue his work [on anti-Trump information], noting that "[t]he revelation that the FBI agreed to pay Steele at the same time he was being paid by Clinton supporters to dig into Trump’s background could further strain relations between the law enforcement agency and the White House.

"When political opposition research becomes the basis for law enforcement or intelligence efforts, it raises substantial questions about the independence of law enforcement and intelligence from politics."